Stop the Bleed Frequently Asked Questions

Learning to stop the bleed is a lifesaving skill. The number 1 cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding. With 3 quick actions, you can be trained and empowered to save a life.

There's no minimum age requirement for the ACS Stop the Bleed course, although we do recommend letting parents/guardians know about the graphic images and content included in the presentation. Instructors have taught the class to kids of all ages!

Anyone! ACS Stop the Bleed courses are available to anyone interested in learning to control life-threatening bleeding.

If you have taken an ACS Stop the Bleed course and are interested in becoming an instructor, please see our eligibility criteria found in the instructor application.

Most ACS Stop the Bleed courses last no longer than 90 minutes. A formal presentation is followed by hands-on practice of applying direct pressure, packing a wound, and using a tourniquet to stop bleeding.

Stop the Bleed is a grassroots effort. If you don’t see a course available near you, contact your local hospital and ask for one to be held in your local community.

Typically, there is no charge for most ACS Stop the Bleed courses. However, sometimes expenses are incurred to hold one. Check with your local instructors to see if there is a fee for their courses. All our instructors volunteer their time and expertise to teach STB training.

It’s easy to set up an ACS Stop the Bleed course for your local group. There are tens of thousands of instructors around the U.S. and world. You can find someone nearby to come teach a course for your group by contacting stopthebleed@facs.org.

The ACS Stop the Bleed website contains upcoming courses. Use our Find a Course tool to search for one that’s near you. Courses are updated on a regular basis, so you can check back again if you don’t find a course that matches your schedule or is close by. If you don’t find a course in your town or city, try searching by zip code or state.

A virtual lecture portion of the ACS Stop the Bleed course is now available. We offer an online interactive course which can be found on our Online Course page. Please use our Find a Course tool to search for upcoming classes. The skills portion of the ACS Stop the Bleed course is still an in-person requirement to complete the course and receive a certificate.

Registration may differ with each individual course. You can find the registration information by clicking on the class profile. If the class includes a registration link or a phone number, please be sure to fill out the registration form or call the phone number provided. If the class allows walk-ins, you should not be required to register.

Please reach out to the instructor of your course for a copy of your course completion certificate.

We do not provide instructor certificates. Please use the approval email you received with your instructor ID number as proof of instructor status.

The site has not been tested in other languages. Please display the application page in English and complete the application.

State and local laws or guidelines may require buildings to have a certain number of kits. Learn more about your state's requirements.

Here are some general considerations regardless of where you live:

Keep Kits Accessible - Bleeding emergencies can claim a life in 3-5 minutes, so make sure immediate responders don't have to travel far for a kit.

Location capacity - High-traffic or occasionally crowded places may require more kits. 

Schools and Campuses - Every school should have at least one kit. A larger campus may require more kits depending on how large or spread out facilities are.

You may consider conducting a risk assessment to determine how many kits to order. The number of fire extinguishers, AEDs, or other safety equipment may be a good place to start when evaluating how many Stop the Bleed Kits your facility should have.

Near existing emergency equipment - Place kits alongside automated external defibrillators (AEDs) or other first aid kits. Your Stop the Bleed kit may even fit inside an AED cabinet alongside the AED. Add stickers or other signage to let immediate responders know that a bleeding control kit is present.

Keep Kits Visible - Ensure kits are easy to reach and clearly labeled.

Consider response times when choosing locations - In large buildings or campuses, kits should be evenly dispersed to ensure that no responder needs to travel far to access a kit.

Document kit locations - Make sure any facility emergency plans include the location of all Stop the Bleed Kits.

Check once a year for expired or damaged supplies. Replenish any used items right after an incident.

Yes. Most states exempt Good Samaritans from legal trouble and limit institutional liability for kit use or malfunction, when properly maintained and used in good faith.

Please contact the store directly via phone at 1-833-472-1163 or email at info@bleedingkits.org. Customer service representatives are available from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday.